Since the 2002 season, the Yankees and Red Sox have played a whopping 90 times (postseason included) and have split those 90 games right down the middle, 45-45, with each team winning a seven-game ALCS. That’s scary, especially when one considers the fact that there are just five Red Sox left from the 2002 team (Manny, Tek, Trot, tonight’s starter Tim Wakefield, and his newly reaquired personal catcher Doug Mirabelli) and just six Yankees (the fab four of Jeter, Jorge, Bernie and Mo, Mussina and Giambi). Despite all that turnover these two teams remain deadlocked, which suggests that it’s not just the men on the field who are of equal ability, but the men who run the team as well. Indeed, 2002 was John Henry’s first full season as Red Sox owner and, after his team went 9-10 against the Yankees that year, he hired Bill James, Theo Epstein et al. the following winter.

Red Sox fans might argue that Epstein and company are smarter than their Yankee counterparts but their intellectual advantage is negated by the fact that the Yankees spend more money, but I don’t buy it. John Henry is wealthier than George Steinbrenner. If he wanted to outspend George, he could. His decision not to is part of how he runs his business, just as hiring Epstein and James was. Yankee fans might counter by saying that Brian Cashman’s hands were tied by George and the Tampa contingent until this past winter, and that going forward, the Yankees just might have the advantage. That doesn’t quite work either. Equally disruptive office politics pushed Epstein out for part of this past winter, and he didn’t join the team until November 2002.

Anyone looking for a reason that this rivalry has climbed to a, pardon the phrase, fever pitch over the past four seasons need look no further than the fact that this tie simply refuses to be broken. It’s fitting, then, that the Yankees and Red Sox enter this quickie two-game series in Fenway tied for first place (the Yankees lead by percentage points and one game in the loss-column due to having played two fewer games) and very easily could emerge in the same position.

I, for one, find it exhausting, and not always in a good way. That said, I think the high rate of turnover has helped. I doubt there would have been 22 James Bond films if Dr. No was the baddie in every one of them. Variety is the spice of life and the Red Sox have did a lot to spice up this rivalry over the winter, turning over a full half of their roster. Out go old warhorses Kevin Millar, Bill Mueller, Bronson Arroyo and a couple of current Yankees (Johnny Damon and Mike Myers). Ended are failed experiments Edgar Renteria, Wade Miller and Matt Mantei. Gone are roster-fillers Tony Graffanino, Gabe Kapler, John Olerud, Chad Bradford, John Halama and Jeremi Gonzalez. In come ex-Marlins Josh Beckett, Mike Lowell and Alex Gonzalez. Given are expanded rolls to Kevin Youkilis, Jonathan Papelbon, and Lenny DiNardo. Filling things out are Coco Crisp (currently on the DL in favor of Willie Harris), Wily Mo Pena, J.T. Snow, Dustin Mohr, El Loco Julian Tavarez, Rudy Seanez and David Riske (also on the DL in favor of rookie Manny Delcarmen) and you’ve got a whole new ballclub, and that doesn’t even count the rejuvinated Curt Schilling or the at least healthy again Keith Foulke.

Exactly what the result of all of this turnover will be for the Red Sox is hard to say at the moment. Their offense is scuffling (ninth in the AL in runs scored, 17th in the majors), but Crisp has been on the DL with a broken finger for most of the season and Manny got off to a slow start. That said, Varitek and Loretta have yet to hit and there’s reason to believe they might not come around.

The pitching, meanwhile, has been no better (in fact it also ranks about mid-pack both in the league and the majors). In the bullpen, Papelbon has been nearly perfect as the closer (he has yet to give up a run), but Foulke and Timlin have been just good enough (Timlin’s excellent ERA masks poor peripherals) and the imports have all been disappointing thus far. In the rotation, Matt Clement and DiNardo (filling in for the injured David Wells) have been terrible. Josh Beckett, has been no better than average. If not for the strong return of Schilling, this team would be in a very bad way on the hill.

Which brings us to tonight’s starter, Tim Wakefield. Take out an ugly first start against the Rangers in Texas and Wakefield has a 2.20 ERA over his past four starts. The only problem has been that the Red Sox have scored a total of two runs in the last three. As the dean of the Red Sox, Wakefield has quite a bit of history with several of the Yankee hitters and has been successful against just about all of them, Matsui (who’s in one of his annual lunging-at-the-ball slumps) and Giambi especially. Wakefield went 1-4 against the Yanks last year, but still held them to a .184 average. With Sheffield likely out of the line-up due to swelling in his wrist after his collision with Shea Hillenbrand on Saturday, the Yanks might be hard pressed to get much going against Wake tonight.

Chien-Ming Wang, meanwhile, will be making just his second career start against the Red Sox, having lost a well-pitched game to start the season’s final series last year when his defense and then his control abandoned him. One wonders if Wang’s control problems in that game were related to the problems pitching from the stretch that he demonstrated against the Orioles in his penultimate start. The Yankees have been working on that since and Wang looked in control in his last start, echoing his pre-Orioles outing by allowing just two runs in seven innings. Could be Chien-Ming is rounding into shape this season. Let’s just hope the hard Fenway infield doesn’t give his opponents the extra bounces they need to win.

Boston Red Sox

2005 Record: 95-97 (.586)
2005 Pythagorean Record: 90-72 (.556)

Manager: Terry Francona
General Manager: Theo Epstein

Home Ballpark (2005 Park Factors): Fenway Park (101/101)

Who’s Replacing Whom?

• Coco Crisp replaces Johnny Damon (though Willie Davis is holding his spot while he’s on the DL)
• Kevin Youkilis inherits Kevin Millar’s playing time
• Mark Loretta replaces Mark Bellhorn and Tony Garaffanino
• Mike Lowell replaces Bill Mueller
• Alex Gonzalez replaces Edgar Renteria
• Wily Mo Pena replaces Jay Payton
• J.T. Snow replaces John Olerud
• Dustin Mohr replaces Gabe Kapler
• Josh Beckett replaces Bronson Arroyo
• Curt Schilling takes back Wade Miller’s starts
• Lenny DiNardo is filling in for David Wells
• Julian Tavarez replaces Mike Myers and Alan Embree
• Rudy Seanez replaces Jeremi Gonzalez and Matt Mantei
• David Riske repalces John Halama and Chad Bradford (though Manny Delcarmen is filling in while he’s on the DL)

Current Roster

1B – Kevin Youkilis (R)
2B – Mark Loretta (R)
SS – Alex Gonzalez (R)
3B – Mike Lowell (R)
C – Jason Varitek (S)
RF – Trot Nixon (L)
CF – Wily Mo Pena (R)
LF – Manny Ramirez (R)
DH – David Ortiz (L)

Bench:

R – Doug Mirabelli (C)
R – Dustin Mohr (OF)
L – Willie Harris (OF)
L – J.T. Snow (1B)
L – Alex Cora (IF)

Rotation:

R – Curt Schilling
R – Tim Wakefield
R – Josh Beckett
L – Lenny DiNardo
R – Matt Clement

Bullpen:

R – Jon Papelbon
R – Keith Foulke
R – Mike Timlin
R – Julian Tavarez
R – Rudy Seanez
R – Manny Delcarmen

15-day DL: S – Coco Crisp (CF), L – David Wells, R – David Riske, L – Hee-Seop Choi (1B)

Typical Lineup

R – Kevin Youkilis (1B)
R – Mark Loretta (2B)
L – David Ortiz (DH)
R – Manny Ramirez (LF)
L – Trot Nixon (RF)
S – Jason Varitek (C)
R – Mike Lowell (3B)
R – Wily Mo Pena (CF)
R – Alex Gonzalez (SS)